1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting contaminants in hydrocarbon fuel and more particularly to a method and apparatus for inline use to detect the presence of water and particulate contaminants in hydrocarbon fuels during the transfer of the fuel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of systems are available for the analysis of fuel to determine the presence of water and particulate contaminants. Typically the existing systems utilize apparatus requiring a manual operation wherein an operator is required to manually initiate the operation of the system and to stand-by during the operational cycle thereby preventing the performance of any other duties during the transfer of the fuel. Most of the known systems for analyzing fuel require the apparatus to be manually calibrated which necessitates the physical removal of the inline instrument from service. Manifestly, such procedures are costly, difficult, and time-consuming.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a method and apparatus for automatically detecting contaminants, such as water and particulates, in transient fuel which can be operated without an attending operator
Another object of the present invention is to produce a method and apparatus for detecting contaminants in transient fuel which commences operation simultaneously with the commencement of the flow of the fuel to be analyzed.
Still another object of the invention is to produce a method and apparatus to automatically analyze hydrocarbon fuel as the fuel is caused to flow from one point to another and to automatically produce a signal upon the detection of contamination.
Yet another object of the present invention is to produce a method and apparatus for automatically calibrating a fuel analyzing system without a physical removal of the apparatus from service.